He was able to climb the throne of the Allfather and play with his thunderbolts, marking him as his successor.īut like Prometheus, he cared more for humans than gods.Įventually, the Dionysian cults spread to Rome. It is said that he was the favorite of Zeus. The little we know about the Dionysian Mysteries don’t resemble much of our current perception of a tame celebration… The God of WineĮven though Dionysus is portrayed as a clumsy, half-drunk God today, recent evidence suggests he was one of the first Olympians that appeared in mainland Greece. Theatre, dance, and music were the main attractions. People marched down the streets carrying phalli (penis-shaped objects), baskets with bread, jars with wine, etc.Ĭity Dionysia was about cultural exposition. Rural Dionysia happened in December and they had the function of celebrating the birth of Dionysus. This festival occurred two times per year, to signify the beginning and end of summer. I’ve talked a few times about the dramatization of mythology as a means of a liturgical ritual. Christianity appropriated many other traditions. Thus, making the transition from these older religions smoother. But “countrymen” or pagans (from paganus, meaning rural) resisted their attempts and stuck to their folk beliefs.Įventually, through clever strategy and propaganda, we see that the Church started reassigning dates – related to pagan holidays – to Christian celebrations.Ĭhristmas was moved from spring – which according to the position of the stars, that’s when Jesus was born – to December 25th in order to match the celebrations and customs of the indigenous population. Under the Veil of PaganismĪs Christianity was spreading throughout Europe, it became necessary to slowly proselytize the common folk to the brace of the Church. This little nuance reveals a big tradition of older religions the initiation rituals. Instead of the Birth of Jesus Christ, they celebrated the “rebirth”, his baptism. Originally, the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrated January 6th, the day of Epiphany or Theophany.īut this is an interesting shift in perspective. You might be surprised to know that early Christians abstained from celebrating the Birth because pagan traditions placed enormous importance on the birth of their deities. The point is that within the same mythology, different branches emerge in parallel with the cultural reformations that have occurred throughout the years.
And 200 years ago, it was vastly different from how we used to celebrate Christmas 500 years ago! It is the predominant narrative of our culture.īut the way we do it today is different from how we used to 200 years ago. Today, the western hemisphere celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Let’s take a look at the Mythological Origins of Christmas! The Christian Mythology Behind Christmas I’d argue that in the age of modernity where everything must be new and flashy, these Holidays are the only thing that helps us articulate the passing of time.īut as always, we’re interested in the real traditions and how they’ve transformed throughout the years. When they’re missing… something feels off. It got me thinking about how we need those “silly” traditions and customs. They simply started following the rhythmical nature of seasons – which is in tune with our internal clock! In the background, soft carol music is playing. From top to bottom, it’s covered with Christmas-ey knick-knacks and gimcracks. Recently, they decided to start decorating. Only a few regulars and friends of the owner. There was only a drizzle so I got to enjoy the atmosphere without becoming soaking wet.Ī few blocks away from my house there’s this little coffee shop. I took a short walk around the city in the afternoon. Yesterday was Sunday the 27th of November. In this blog post, we’re going to explore the mythological origins of Christmas and how different cultures spent the holidays. A time of transience and change, civilizations have celebrated these special 12 days for thousands of years, with different customs and traditions. We’re a few weeks away from Christmas and the end of the year.
0 kommentar(er)
